The Civil War

            On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. In the following year an attack on Fort Sumter sparked the beginning of the civil war. Contradictions between the northern and southern states spurred causes leading to the civil war. The northern states believed that men were born with equal rights including African Americans. Slavery was disbelief among its states.  Its economic status was based on industrialization and since machineries had been used mainly on crops, slave labor was less required. Northern states produced numerous crops quickly. However the southern states thought opposite of the ideas that the northern believed. The south remained its economic status based on agriculture that required slave labor to produce its crops. Slave labor was an important essential to the southern states causing an immense disagreement between the two. After the secession of the southern states from the union, they became known as the confederates. The Union was in lead of winning the civil war. Its army surrounded and completely cut off supply routes of the confederate forces. In the year 1865 Robert E. Lee general of the confederate army, asked Commander in Chief Ulyss Grant to meet for terms of surrender at Appamatox courthouse.

                After the civil war in 1863 president Abraham Lincoln created a reconstruction plan to restore peace. The reconstruction plan offered a pardon to the confederate states in addition to building its government only if they took a 10% oath to the Union. However congressmen disagreed and believed that the confederates deserved greater punishment. In July 1864 congress passes its own bill called the Wade-Davis Bill. The Bill offered the rights for African Americans to vote and required a 50% oath to the Union. The Bill did not go into effect because Abraham Lincoln disagreed and pocket-vetoed. In the same year Lincoln was assonated leaving his quarrel with congress unfinished. Andrew Johnson Lincoln’s right hand man was made President.

                Andrew Johnson although right hand man to former President Abraham Lincoln, he supported slavery. He appoints North Carolina to elect office holders causing tensions between him and the congressmen. He begged the congress to ratify the 13^th amendment abolishing slavery. Under new presidency black codes were passed which meant that former slaved had special regulations. In 1866 congress created a freedmen’s bureau act that provided former slaves legal help, food, employment, and education. Second they created the civil rights act which granted equal rights to African Americans nullifying black codes. Johnson vetoed both acts however congress passed the civil rights act over his veto. Frictions between Johnson and congress continued. Congress passes laws that limited presidential authorities against the reconstruction plan as Johnson prevented the reconstruction plan going into effect with its implementation. The House of Representatives impeached the president following trial. The impeachment fell by one short vote. On trial, Johnson pledged to enforce the reconstruction plan, if granted to finish his term in office. After Johnson’s term, acts pertained to the reconstruction plan were in effect.